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Aston Villa fans have been reacting to the news that the club made an approach for Bologna left-back Aaron Hickey during the summer transfer window.

According to Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness), the Midlands outfit ‘came forward’ for the 19-year-old only to learn that he was regarded as ‘absolutely not transferable’.

The Scotsman has started all seven of Bologna’s Serie A matches so far this season, helping them get three early wins on the board.

He’s averaged 1.6 successful dribbles, 1.1 tackles and one interception per 90 minutes, whilst also winning two WhoScored man of the match awards.

Hickey an affordable Targett alternative?

Hickey has just under three years left on his contract and is valued at £4.5million by Transfermarkt.

One of Villa’s incumbent left-backs, Matt Targett, endured a tricky start to the season. He was hooked after 45 minutes of the opening day defeat at Watford and subsequently dropped to the bench for the win over Newcastle United.

Fan feed Villa Report relayed the Hickey news, and here’s what supporters made of it.

Many Villa fans confident of Hickey deal

“Makes absolute sense. Taylor and Elmo are gone. Ashley Young is only here for a year as a stop gap. Kesler will return in the summer to challenge Cash and (someone) will be signed at LB to challenge Targett. Quite straightforward really.”

Credit: @Zeus_AVFC

“We’ll eventually get our target”

Credit: @issaAVFC

“We’ve been after him for a while too, the time will come.”

Credit: @Jannetts_

“We will get him”

Credit: @JPBmasterclass

“Will probably look to get him when Young leaves then”

Credit: @JonahB90

“Unreal on FM, fuming”

Credit: @AVFC_Aston

In other news, fans absolutely loved this midfielder’s comments.

Former Scotland boss Alex McLeish has raved about Leeds United’s recruitment over the course of the summer transfer window.

What’s the story?

While Marcelo Bielsa’s side may have only had a quiet window in terms of first-team incomings with the likes of Junior Firpo and Dan James joining, they did however do more business in bolstering their U23s squad, and it’s something McLeish has voiced his approval about.

He said: “Great development is terrific but you don’t bring ordinary players to the club. There has to be a talent in spotting them in the first place. There has to be an assessment of if these kids have great potential.

“That they were the standouts that they (talent spotters) saw at their level of under-16 or under-15s or even before that. Some of them join academies at the age of nine or ten.

“It can be a very long process but they are really singled out quite early in their football careers. It seems that at Leeds, the recruitment has been brilliant.”

Fans will be buzzing

According to Transfermarkt, Leeds signed four new players to add to their club’s already talented group of U23s players, including the likes of Lewis Bate from Chelsea, Amari Miller from Birmingham City, Sean McGurk from Wigan and Leo Hjelde from Celtic.

That of course followed on from the summer of 2020 when Bielsa’s side brought in the likes of Sam Greenwood, Crysencio Summerville and Joe Gelhardt among others – all of whom were features in the U23s Premier League Division 2 success last season.

As McLeish says, the Whites are making a conscious effort to ensure that they are spotting talent way before they really burst onto the scene and make their mark, at which point it becomes far more difficult to sign them as there will be lots more competition, and far more costlier too.

The signings Leeds have made, have all been for very minimal fees which ensures that really, whatever the case, they either stand to make a big profit, or watch them turn into first-team players for Bielsa’s senior side themselves.

In either case, the Whites’ transfer strategy is one that should be applauded, and McLeish’s verdict is sure to have fans absolutely buzzing.

Meanwhile, this Leeds star has been an absolute bargain…

Sunderland have been dealt a boost regarding the fitness of Niall Huggins ahead of their upcoming League One clash.

What’s the latest?

In recent comments cited by the Sunderland Echo, Lee Johnson revealed that, despite the defender having been brought off while appearing to be in extreme discomfort in the Black Cats’ 2-0 Carabao Cup victory over Wigan Athletic, Huggins could be available for selection for the visit of Bolton Wanderers on Saturday.

This is because, rather than a serious muscle injury, the Leeds United loanee was simply suffering from cramp, with the issue having already eased considerably after the fixture at the DW Stadium on Tuesday.

Speaking about the fitness of the right-back, Johnson said: “I’m hoping it’s just cramp with Niall. I think it was because it seems to have eased off.”

The 41-year-old manager continued: “I thought Niall Huggins was outstanding, as well. You just wouldn’t want to mark [him and Dennis Cirkin], would you? They’re like Duracell bunnies.

“That [Huggins’ performance] comes from the cohesion – him understanding other players’ games and other players understanding him.”

Fans will be buzzing

Considering how well Huggins has performed for Sunderland since his season-long loan switch from Leeds United earlier this summer, the news that the defender does not look to have picked up a serious injury, in addition to more than likely being available for the Bolton game on Saturday, is sure to have fans buzzing.

Indeed, the 20-year-old particularly impressed against Wigan last time out, registering one assist, as well as making one tackle, one interception, two key passes and winning 83% of his duels over his 79 minutes on the pitch.

These returns saw the £180k-rated man earn a SofaScore match rating of 7.3, ranking him as Sunderland’s joint fourth-best performer on the day.

As such, the fact that the youngster looks set to once again be available to play a part for the Black Cats this weekend is undoubtedly a major boost for Johnson, who will be hoping his side can keep up their fantastic early-season form against the Trotters.

In other news: £135k-rated Sunderland “revelation” who won 80% duels ran the show vs Wigan

Flocking to Twitter, many Tottenham Hotspur supporters have erupted over news involving Manchester City star Bernardo Silva.

As reports surrounding Harry Kane’s future in north London grow and more intense toward the latter stages of this summer transfer window, it is believed the offer of a swap deal shouldn’t be entirely ruled out.

City could offer players plus a sizeable transfer fee in exchange for the 28-year-old (Fabrizio Romano), with Bernardo in particular having been one of the names mentioned in recent weeks (The Daily Mail).

Bringing an update on the Portuguese attacker’s links to Spurs in a potential swap for Kane, journalist Duncan Castles has provided supporters with some encouraging news.

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Speaking on The Transfer Window Podcast, Castles claims that Bernardo would potentially look at the Lilywhites as an option should City agree on him being included as part of a deal for Kane.

Flocking to this update, it’s safe to say many fans would take that with the majority seeming eager for Spurs to sign Bernardo.

Find all of their best verdicts, in reply to The Spurs Web, down below.

Spurs fans erupt over Bernardo news

“I beg”

Credit: @Tom_Craigg

“Take the 125 mil and Bernardo. What a deal that would be”

Credit: @jacob_knight112

“Him and 100 million for kane, get it done. Then buy a top cf, cb and rb.”

Credit: @PhilBleach

“OMG YES”

Credit: @lukegreig0

“Yessss”

Credit: @Scorpion12215

“He would improve our midfield immediately”

Credit: @footballmurph

“Nuno would love that”

Credit: @VeteranPeign

“Perfect. Do it”

Credit: @caminho_jr

“NOW WE SPEAKING”

Credit: @thelittlecruyff

In other news: Agreement reached: Tottenham confirm another N17 exit in social media announcement, find out more here.

West Bromwich Albion have completed a deal to bring Jordan Hugill to The Hawthorns.

What’s the latest?

In a statement posted on the West Brom website, the Baggies confirmed the signing of the Norwich City centre-forward on a season-long loan deal, with Valerien Ismael giving a lengthy explanation for the addition of the 29-year-old.

The Frenchman said: “Jordan has the player profile we have been looking for and is the type of striker we needed. I think with his experience, his mentality and his work ethic, he will suit us perfectly.

“Jordan will allow us to be more adaptable as a team. We will have some games that are different and we will need more physicality in the box, making life difficult for the opponent’s centre-backs.

“His skill and his experience will help him to score a lot of goals for us. He is able to score from open play and set pieces. I think we saw already in our first few games that we have had a lot of crosses into the box and it is important we have a striker in the area who is able to win those headers.”

Fans should be concerned

While it is undeniable that Hugill is indeed a player with a wealth of experience in the Championship, having made 207 appearances in the competition, as well as the fact that the 6ft centre-forward will add something of an extra dimension to the Albion attack, whether or not the 29-year-old is the proven goalscorer the Baggies have been searching for is very much up for debate.

Indeed, over his aforementioned 207 Championship appearances, playing for clubs such as Norwich City, Preston North End, Queens Park Rangers and Middlesbrough, the £1.8m-rated man has scored just 46 goals, as well as providing his teammates with a mere seven assists.

So, having scored roughly one goal every four games in the second tier of English football, while typically playing for mid to upper-table Championship teams, the former West Ham United striker has not exactly proven that he is a prolific marksman, nor does he often participate in the creation of goals.

As such, while the £36k-per-week forward may well go on to enjoy a successful campaign in what looks to be a very impressive West Brom side, Hugill could also quite easily repeat his Norwich City form last season – when the 29-year-old scored just four goals over 31 league games.

As such, fans should be slightly concerned that Hugill is the striker the club have waited so long to bring in this summer, as his signing would very much appear to be something of a gamble by Ismael.

In other news: Key West Brom figure drops update on “magnificent” £28k-p/w gem, it’d be a major boost

A number of Sheffield Wednesday supporters weren’t impressed with Andre Green’s performance in the 0-0 draw at Charlton Athletic.

The Owls got their League One season underway on Saturday evening, making the trip to London to take on the Addicks. Wednesday’s opening game back in the third tier ended in a goalless draw at The Valley, but it could be looked back on as a good result next May.

Both teams will hope to be battling it out for promotion as the weeks and months pass and Darren Moore’s side held their own against their opponents.

Green was named in Wednesday’s starting lineup on the day, but he struggled to have a major impact on proceedings, earning a 5.8 rating from WhoScored. It was the lowest of anyone on the pitch and the striker failed to even get a shot off during his 63 minutes on the pitch, while he completed just seven passes all evening (via WhoScored).

Sheff Wed fans criticise Green’s performance

The 23-year-old’s performance didn’t impress some of the watching Owls fans either, with a number of them taking to Twitter to criticise his “woefully poor” display after the game.

“get Green out, he’s woefully poor”

Credit: @Ringrose91

“Disappointed in Andre Green over the last two games. Was expecting him to be better than he has been. We also need Gregory in the team. Kamberi showed glimpses but still not convinced. Apart from that I’m still encouraged that we will do well this season”

Credit: @LyndonWilkins10

“Not convinced of Green!”

Credit: @aaronswallow26

“You’ll have to watch an awful lot of football to find a football player as bad as Andre Green.”

Credit: @7ronaldo1309

“Green had a very poor game”

Credit: @G_Nibs

“Don’t start Green next week”

Credit: @AS__1867

In other news, Sheff Wed are reportedly interested in signing one player this summer. Find out who it is here.

Despite kicking off the new Premier League season with a 3-1 defeat against Everton on Saturday, it seems as if Southampton are planning on making just one more signing this summer after Ralph Hasenhuttl shared the club’s transfer plans.

What’s the word?

According to Hampshire Live, Hasenhuttl is planning for just one more new addition to his squad before the transfer window shuts – a centre-back to replace Jannik Vestergaard, after his move to Leicester City earlier this month.

Journalist Tom Leach wrote in a recent piece for Hampshire Live, that:

“Southampton have just one piece on transfer business to do between now and the end of the month, with a central defender who can play as a number six (defensive midfield) considered to be the ideal target.”

Do Southampton need more signings?

Southampton have signed six players so far this window, with Theo Walcott, Romain Perraud, Dynel Simeu, Tino Livramento and Adam Armstrong joining on permanent deals, whilst Armando Broja has arrived on a season-long loan from Chelsea.

Of those, only Walcott is over the age of 24, which suggests that Hasenhuttl is sticking to his transfer plans of signing younger players, although you could argue that the Saints now have a very inexperienced squad, especially when considering the departures of Ryan Bertrand and Vestergaard.

Last season saw the Saints struggle immensely due to injury problems and a serious lack of squad depth and you worry that could be the case once again this season, especially when considering the options Hasenhuttl has in defence.

Only new signing Perraud is a natural left-back, with Moussa Djenepo featuring there regularly in pre-season, which seems a very risky move by the Austrian, and Saints fans would be less than happy if the Malian was forced to play there in the Premier League should the Frenchman be missing.

[freshpress-quiz id=“594431”]

Although signing a quality centre-back, who can also play defensive-midfield, would undoubtedly improve the squad, you feel that Southampton need more than one new addition to the squad if they are to comfortably avoid relegation this season.

And, in other news… Semmens should seal Southampton swoop for centre-back tipped to “explode”

Tottenham Hotspur have reiterated that Harry Kane is not for sale this summer, with key figures behind the scenes confident he’ll remain with Spurs, according to The Athletic. 

The lowdown: Report outlines multi-million pound agreement

Spurs forward Harry Kane has previously voiced his intentions (Sky Sports) to leave the club earlier this summer, although a move anywhere is yet to materialise.

Part of that is largely down to Spurs of course wanting to keep him at the club, as well as Kane being away on international duty with England in the European Championships, so a move is unlikely to have been on his mind recently.

However, Manchester City have been keen admirers of striking a deal to sign Kane, with a fee in the region of £100million being quoted over a potential agreement.

The Sun had recently reported that Daniel Levy had accepted a £160million offer from Pep Guardiola’s side, although it doesn’t seem as though that’s the case just yet.

The latest: Senior Spurs figures confident Kane will stay

The Athletic are reporting on Saturday morning that Spurs have taken a ‘dim view’ of suggestions that an agreement to sell Kane had been reached.

That same report also claims that both Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City were taken by surprise on that claim from The Sun, with Spurs reiterating that Kane is not for sale this summer.

The Athletic have also revealed that key figures at Spurs are confident that he’ll stay with the London-based club moving forwards.

The verdict: There will be plenty more twists and turns

There are so many conflicting reports, it’s difficult to know which one to believe.

Kane has revealed his intentions for a new adventure away from Spurs this summer, but Nuno Espírito Santo’s side clearly still value his impact in north London over any sum Manchester City could plausibly stump up.

City are always going to be a tempting offer for any player however, both financially and for the position they’re at in the Premier League.

They’re a team who have really impressed under the management of Pep Guardiola, and Kane could be the missing piece in their jigsaw, as they target Champions League glory in the near future.

With that in mind, it’s hard to rule anything out at this stage, and while it seems unlikely Kane would do something as drastic as to try and force a move from his boyhood club, there will certainly be more twists and turns to come.

Norwich City midfielder Danel Sinani is set to join Huddersfield Town on loan, according to a fresh transfer rumour which emerged on Monday evening.

The Lowdown: No Norwich future for Sinani

The 24-year-old is still yet to make a first-team appearance for the Canaries and has only played once for the Under-23s, scoring in his only match.

It seems clear that there is no future for Sinani at Carrow Road, especially with Daniel Farke’s side now preparing for another season back in the Premier League.

[freshpress-quiz id=“359326”]

The Latest: Midfielder set for loan move

According to Football Insider’s Monday night development, Huddersfield are ‘in talks’ with Norwich over a loan move for Sinani, who spent last season at Belgian side Waasland-Beveren.

His current Canaries deal expires in the summer of 2023, with a recruitment source telling Football Insider that another temporary deal is now in the works.

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The Verdict: Permanent better?

It doesn’t look as though Sinani would have any chance of enjoying playing time for Norwich in 2021/22, so this could be a good thing for everyone concerned.

The player himself would benefit from regular starts in the Championship, while Huddersfield would hope he can add quality in the middle of the park – he has scored six goals in 34 appearances for Luxembourg, after all.

Should Sinani thrive there however, a permanent deal must surely be talked about further down the line, allowing Norwich to receive a fee for a player who clearly has no future at the club.

In other news, a journalist has tipped Norwich to sign an international midfielder this summer – find out who it is here.

It’s ‘likely’ that Newcastle United will be offered the chance to sign long-term transfer target Andrea Belotti on a cut-price deal, according to Chronicle Live journalist Lee Ryder.

The lowdown

The 27-year-old has been a prolific striker for Serie A club Torino, scoring 105 goals in 228 appearances and finishing third in the race for the league’s Golden Boot in 2016/17. He’s currently on Euro 2020 duty with semi-finalists Italy as a back-up to favoured centre-forward Ciro Immobile.

Belotti has now entered the final year of his contract at Torino, who will be wary of the risk that he leaves on a free transfer next summer.

Former Torino boss Davide Nicola has labelled him a ‘unique’ forward and a ‘great finisher’.

The latest

Ryder says that Newcastle have long ‘kept tabs’ on Belotti, who was ‘scouted before [the] pandemic’.

The 27-year-old’s contract contains an £85m release clause, but Torino are now thought to have slashed their demands to £29m with less than 12 months left on the deal, a 66% reduction in his asking price. [Chronicle Live]

However, Ryder expresses doubt as to whether Newcastle will take up the opportunity to bring him in. With transfer funds in ‘short supply’ and the club shrouded in a ‘veil of uncertainty’, it may not be realistic. [Chronicle Live]

The verdict

Belotti will surely have no shortage of suitors at that price tag, and a move to a Premier League club could leave Newcastle pondering what might have been.

If this deal had been available 12 months ago, you’d have been urging the club to pounce. However, the £20m addition of the prolific Callum Wilson means that the centre-forward position is no longer a transfer priority, and even if Bruce wanted to play two up top, it would be sensible to use an in-house option for the moment and invest in improving the squad elsewhere.

In other news, could this be when Newcastle learn their arbitration result?